Loading apparatus of heavy guns.



A. T. DAWSON & J. BORNE. LOADING\.PPARAJBUSv 0F HEAVY GUNS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 30, 1911.

Patented Apr. 21, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

IIIIIIII COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co.. wAsHlNnToN. n. c.

A. T. DAWSON @L J. HORNE. LOADING APPARATUS 0F HEAVY GUNS.

` APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 30, 1911. l

Patented Apr. 21, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

f' il coLuMHm PLANoaRAPu C0,. WASHINGTON. D. c.

"MED @MEN ARTHUR TEEVOE. DAWsoN, or IWESTMINSTEE, LONDON, AND JAMES BORNE, OE

BARRoW-IN-EURNEss, ENGLAND,` AssIGNORs To vroKEas LIMITED, OE WEsT- MINSTER, ENGLAND.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

LOADING APPARATUS OF HEAVY GUNS.

' Patented Apr. 21, 1914.

Application filed September 30, 1911. VSerial No. 652,191.

To all 'whom t mag/concern Be it known t-hat we, ARTHUR V'IREvoR DAWSON, knight, and JAMES HORNE, both ing to the Loading Apparatus of Heavy- Guns, of whichv the followingis a specification. l Y

This invention relates to the loading apparatus of heavy guns, and has-particular reference to gun loading cages of the lkind Y in which means are provided for permitting the powder charges to descend intoV theramf ming position after the projectile has s been rammed into the gun and the rammer withdrawn. For this purpose thercage is usually furnished with doors which normally retain the powder charges in their position above the projectile in the cage, the said doors being under the control of a manually operated j lever carried by the'saridV cage.

According to our invention weeprovide means under the control of the rammer whereby the powder charges `willron the return movement of the rammer after the pro* jectile has ,been rammed automatically assume their ramming position sot-hat the liability of .mistake on the part of the operator in releasing the powder charges by hand as heretofore is eliminated. The said means may comprise a hydraulic or other actuating device so constructed and arranged that when the cage assumes its fully raised position suitable mechanism on the cage for operating the `doors will be capable of becoming temporarily engaged with the actuating device afterthe projectile h-as been rammed and of becoming disengaged from the actuating device when the cage descends after the loading operation hasbeen effected.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into elicot, we Vwill describe the same more fully with reference to the Vaccompanying drawings inV which: A p j j Figures '1 and 'la represent a diagrammatic side elevation, and Fig. 2 is a rear ele-Y pressure fiuid by the pipe cZX.

AThe valve BK is in the form vvation showing one form of our invention employed in conjunction with a rammer of the flexible chain type.

A is the gun, B the slide frame, B the loading arm B'the rammer and C the gun loading cage. The powder doo-rs of the loading cage C are inthe example shown under the direct 'control of'a cam C which is connected --by means of a longitudinally displaceable rod o' wit-h the arm c2 of a spring controlled bell vcrank lever YC2 the spindle 02-x of which is'pivotally mounted on the gun loading cage. In order toenable the bell crank lever to become engaged with the actuating device when the cage reaches its fully raised position and after the projectile has, been rammed, the other arm 0.3

of the said bell crank lever is provided with a rollerl C34 or the like the axis of which is capable of'inward and outward movement relatively to the Vpivot of the bell crank leverV` n This rollerkis under the control'of a` spring c@L that tends to keep it in its; inwardV position'. Attached to the ram D oit' the hydraulic cylinder D2 carried by Vthe load# ing arm is a member D formed with a slot d.

As thei cage assumes its .fully raised position :the roller C3 by coming against the under side of the member D is moved outward againstthe resistance of the spring c4 and assumesthe position shown in the drawings. The hydraulic cylinder Dzcommunicates by the pipe b with a valve Bc carried by the slide frame B and is supplied with constant valveBX is so arranged in relation to the rammer B2 that when Vthe latter reaches its fully withdrawn position it cooperates with `the stem ofthe valve Bx to displace it and put the cylinder D? to exhaust through the pipes ZJ', b2, the constant pressure fluid from the pipe ZX then moving the ram D toward the right'` and retaining itin this position as shown in the drawings. Y

ofa differential ram andis under the control of constant pressure fluid supplied by the pipe Z) so that when the rammer B2 leaves its fully lWithdrawn position to ram the project-ile and'moves awayfrom the stem of the Valve 'BX the latter is displaced toward the left by The said the pressure fluid .acting thereon and thereby withdrawn position, it coperates with themv stem of the valve Bx, thereby moving the latter toward the right into a position to place the hydraulic press D2 to exhaust, through the pipes b', 722 as aforesaid. Constant pressure fluid supplied by the pipe d* then acts on the opposite side ofthe ram D and moves the latter to its normal position, carrying` with it the roller CS engaging in the-slo-t CZ in the member D connected to the said ram. Als this roller is carried by the arm c3 of the bell crank lever C2, the latter moves against the resistance of a spring C0 and displaces-the cam C to operate the powder doors thereby allowingthe lower powder charges to descend into the space previously occupied by the projectile.

' On the rammer leaving its withdrawn position to rain the said charges,'the valve BX is displaced as aforesaid -to admit pressure fluid to the` press D2 through the pipe b thereby moving the ramA D to the left and by means of the roller C3 on the arm c3 of the bell crank lever, causing the latter to resume its vnormal position and again close the doors of the loading cage. When the rammer, after ramming the charges, returns to its fully withdrawn pois repeated and the remaining charges are permitted to assume the loading position and then rammed. lVhen the loading cage C descends, the roller C3 (carried by the bell crank lever C2 on the cage) moves out of engagement with the slot Z in the member D and the bell crank lever C2 is then operated by its spring C0 to close the powder doors.

7e wish it to be understood that we do not desire to limit our invention to loading apparatus in which the gun can be loaded at any angle of elevation nor to apparatus in which a flexible rammer is employed.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States iszl. In gun loading apparatus, the combination with the rammer and the loading cage, of means under the control of the rammer for enabling the powder charges in the cage to automatically assume their ramming position on the return movement of the rammer after performing a ramming operation.

first two 2. In gun loading apparatus, the combination with the rammer, the loading cage and the-members for retaining the powder charges in position inv said cage, of means for automatically opening said members on the return movement of the rammer.

3. In gun loading apparatus, the combination with the rammer, the loading cage vand the members for retaining the powder charges in position in said cage, of an hydraulic device under the control of the rammer for automatically opening said meinbers on the return movementof the rammer.

4. In gun Aloading apparatus, the combination with the rammer, the loading cage and the members for retaining the powder charges in position in said cage, of operating mechanism for aforesaid members carried by the cage, an hydraulic device under the control of the rammer, means for temporarily engaging said device with the lthe control of the rammer, means for teinporarily engaging said device with the said mechanism when the cage is in the loading position and a valve under the control of the rammer for automatically operating the said Adevice on the return movement of the rammer. sition, the aforesaid sequence of operations j 6. In gun loading apparatus, the combination with the rammer, the loading cage and the members for retaining the powder lcharges in position in said cage, of operating mechanism for aforesaid members carried by the cage, an hydraulic device under the control of the rammer, means for temporarily engaging said device with the said.

mechanism when the cage is in the loading position, a valve controlling the movement-s of the said device and means for displacing said valve on the return movement of the rammer. i

7. In gun loading apparatus, the combination with the rammer, the loading cage andthe members for retaining the powder charges in positionv in said cage, of operating mechanism for aforesaid members carried by said cage, an hydraulic ram, an eX- tension of said rain, means for temporarily connecting said extension to a member of said mechanism when the cage is in the loading posit-ion and 'a valve under the control of the rammer for vcausing the ram to open the said members on the return movement of the rammer.

8. In gun loading apparatus, the combination with the rammer, the loading cage and the members for retaining the powder eharges in position in said cage, of operatlng `mechanism for aforesaid members Carried by said cage, an hydraulic ram, an eX- tension of said ram formed with a slot, a roller on a member of said mechanism adapted to engage in said slot, and a valve under the control of the rammer for causing the ram to open the said members on the Y return movement of the rammer.

In testimony whereof we aix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

' ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON.

JAMES HORNE.

Witnesses to signature of Arthur Trevor Dawson:

HENRY KING, JN0. R. CAswnLL.

Witnesses to signature of James Horne:

W. H. ATKINSON, i A. D. LLOYD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, 'by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

